So today is our last Saturday in Sansepolcro, sad day... Classes wrap up tomorrow, we have our last big family dinner tomorrow night ( I have to sing again grr...) and then we head to Cinque Terre at the ass-crack of the morning on monday, spend three days there and head to Switzerland early Thursday morning. From there we spend two days in Stechelberg (spelling I give up) and then head to Paris for 2 nights before going onward to London. Phew, it tires me out just thinking about it! I dont think I will be able to blog till we get to London, but maybe I will be able to pop on in Paris just to let everyone know that I am safe and whatnot. I dont believe, I will be able to use my phone in Paris either since we dont have a sim card for it, and I dont feel like being hammered with a crazy phone bill.
I am super pumped about this next week though, if we can make it through this I am pretty sure we can make it through ANYTHING this trip has to throw at us, I am totally getting jinxed for saying that...
Italy has been an amazing experience, and it seems sort of crazy that it is slowly wrapping itself up. The troubles we had as a group have seemed to all but dissapear and I am happy that this trip is ending on a positive note. It will seem weird to leave the Italy half of the girls in Switzerland with only 3 of us continuing on to Paris and London (the other 2 are going to Amsterdam before London) I am really excited to meet the new group of girls that are coming to London and see how different the atmosphere will be with them as opposed to the Italy ladies. I am also quite excited to be going to a country where I speak the same language as everyone else (that is a very un-study abroad comment, but I cant help it. I have felt like a perpetual idiot since the day we got here)
I think this is it for tonight, I will probably have a larger wrap up blog tomorrow, but tonight I have a module and a paper to tackle... Ti amo!
Ciao
SB
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Venice
Alright back from Venice! Venice probably is the most beautiful place I have visited so far. On Monday we cut classes short, headed to the bus station and rode to Arezzo our leaving spot. From there, a group of around sixteen of us (professors included) took a train to Venice Saint Lucia. It was a bit late so we hung out and people watched for awhile till it arrived. I swear this trip has really allowed me to take hapiness in the small things in life, and one of those things is having a reservation so that you and your friends are guarenteed a full cabin on the train. This means we all have seats together and can close the curtains and not have to worry about people getting on and off or going through our stuff. The train ride was about 4 hours long so not too bad, and great for getting in that nap I had missed out on for the last few days. So Venice is gorgeous! (will include picture) Its basically a fish shaped island surrounded by some more quiet smaller islands. From the quiet large train station (they said about 10,000 people go through this train station PER day, hold on to your purses ladies! From there we purchased a rolling venice pass and a 72 hour vaporetto pass. The vaporettos are basically these boats that ferry people to and from the island and to many destinations along the way since walking across Venice would take forever. I actually would have perferred the walk since I have this nasty seasickness habit hehe. Anywho, we had mass confusion for a few minutes before finding the right vaporetto and heading to the most wellknown landmark in Venice, Saint Marks Square. Ok, Saint Marks is basically this enourmous square flanked by a church, a belltower, and 3 large window-filled buildings. Within the square are A) tons of people and B) lots of restaurants and chairs (dont sit, they charge out the wazoo!) C) Late at night bands from competing restaurants come out and play famous orchestral music (I could dance all night, I feel pretty, Maria etc..) D) this square is filled with couples dancing and kissing and blah blah blah you know the deal... Actually, people are not only allowed too but encouraged to dance in this square to the music so on the first night I twirled Bria around in my best tango-esk fashion (dad you would be proud)
Anywhoo, we got to the square marvelled a bit, and realized we all still had our enourmous packs and went to find our hotel. Venice is filled with these tiny shop-heavy streets, so we got a bit lost because of Brias tiny map until we found our hotel. It was right near the Ferrari store, which I am sad to say I never actually got the chance to go in lol. Our hotel, Hotel Astoria was nice, it was exactly what we needed since we wouldnt be spending much time in it in the first place, the only downside was Kiran and I in our two bedroom had no A/C and it is hot as bejesus in Italy right now! lol. After that, the six of us decided to commit another cardinal sin of study abroad and we went to The Hard Rock Venice Restaurant. OMG, I seriously need a moment of silence just to appreciate how nice it was to go to this restaurant after a month of straight Italian food. This place had chicken nuggets, fries, burgers, and most importantly free refills and they split the check! I cannot even express how incredible I felt after I finished my food SO GOOD! Ok, back to business than we went and hung out in Saint Marcs for a bit, found a little quiet pub and had some wine and gabbed about Venice so far, then I got dragged to another not so quiet bar and all the girlies had a bit too much to drink. I was alright though and still managed to get us all back to our hotel safe and sound. Then we crashed to get ready for our next day.
Our next day, We took the vaporetto and visited Murano and Burano. These two small islands are known for their blown glass, and lace. It was really fun to go to Murano because its a sleepy little town cut in half by a large canal of water and filled with small glass shops, a glass blowing factory, and large glass sculptures everywhere you turn. We spent about an two and a half hours there picking up presents for our lucky friends and family at home ;) Before a group of us split off and went to Burano, an even smaller island. This island was cute and covered in beautiful multicolored buildings lining its "grand canal" but we quickly saw all the main sights and decided that all our feet had, had enough. About a two hour vaporetto later we were back in Saint Marks. I then required a nap for 45 minutes while everyone got pizza, and I got gelato for dinner (hey like I said an any time of day food, plus its cheap and Venice my friends is not!) We then had the bright idea to hop on a vaporetto (they run 24 hours a day) and do a "night cruise" to see the sights. Ok, A) we got on the wrong boat so we saw pretty much nothing and B) I felt horribly seasick. Blah, not fun but we did see a few huge cruise lines that were docked there and we all commented about how a vacation from our vacation would be nice.
Ok, Day 2 (trying to make this short) Kiran, Spencer, her friend Eric, and I went with Cathy to Vicenza this day. We woke up bright and early, took a vaporetto to the train station, hopped a train (Spencer and Eric missed this one so they met us later) and an hour later we arrived. This place is known for its ancient theatre (teatro olympico) that has been beautifully perserved over the years. We arrived, took a bus, and had AMAZING lunch (I had shrimp and zuccihini salad, a water, and roasted potatoes) and visited the museum. The Theater tour itself was pretty short but the theater is gorgeous. Its this raked stage will a front wall facade and three streets projecting backwards that are designed in perspective style and get shorter as the distance increases. They said that they put little people at the back of the set to give the perspective even more believability, which I think is too funny. Its also surrounded by statues of the members of Academia at the time looking down on the stage watching the show going on. The theatre opened in the early 17th century I believe and its opening show Odeipus Rex started at 1:30 in the morning and didnt end till 4, housing over 2000 people. After the theatre we got amazing gelato, and headed back to the train station. That night I had a way too overpriced dinner and turned in early while the other girlies went out
Our last day we got breakfast, hung about, packed up and hopped the train back to Arezzo. After a long bus to Sansepolcro here I am safe and sound. Overall, this trip was amazing. I think our group is now comfortable with each other, we all know our particular roles we play, and its pretty much smooth sailing to find and reach our destinations. Now we are in Sansepolcro for three or four more days before my group is headed to Cinque Terre for three days and then on to Stechlberg Switzerland for two. Hope everyone is doing well, thanks for all your great messages about the blog will continue to post as much as I can!
Ti amo!
Ciao
Sara
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Little Known Facts: Italy #1
Had some extra time today and thought I would gather some silly little known facts for you guys that I have learned so far on my trip
1. There are in fact more grapes in Italy than people.
2. If you can see one iota of sky above your head, im talking a half a centimeter or more be AWARE. Bird poop happens here, the birds know we are american and aim accordingly.
3. If indeed "shit happens" while you are out avoid removing immediatly, instead let the locals have a little fun staring at you until it crusts upon your head and you can flake it out.
4. Gelato is an any time of day food, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are the only stores that are open at all times!
5. Between the hours of 1 to 4, everything in Italy closes (except aforementioned gelaterias) Italians enjoy a good nap, everyday.
6. Italians do NOT under any circumstances split checks, even if it is a table of 14 you will have to delegate the tab yourself.
7. Similiarly, Italians do not enjoy anything that is not cash. The mafia tends to like to take a cut of profits so cash is the most sneakable form of currency.
8. It is perfectly fine to have a bit of vino before noon, infact preferred if you are having lunch. Bottles can cost as little as .99euro so, drink up!
9. Small children know a lot more english than you anticipate. They are also not afraid to scream these "certain words" they know at you. The boys here all know a certain word we use for a cat, and will ask you if you in fact own one, at any time of day. Even with their parents.
10. Men here are clever with their come on's (or so I hear I have not infact been acosted by any Italians yet)
11. If a woman attempts to give you her baby in a throwing motion RUN you are about to be robbed.
12. If a woman tells you that you have any type of condiment on your clothing RUN you are about to be robbed.
13. If a cute dog stops beside you resist the urge to pet, and RUN this cute dog has an owner, an owner that is about to rob you.
14. People that beg here for money, often jingle from the money they have in their pockets, smoke expensive cigarettes, and cary cell phones. Think before you give!
15. It is perfectly accepted to let your child run like madmen in church, its also alright to talk during a service, and to not bow your head during prayer. It is also mildly acceptable to sleep during service.
16. Olive Oil goes on everything, period.
17. The food here is amazing you will get fat, its an unavoidable fact.
18. Be aware of surroundings at all times, especially on trains. Avoid mothers with small children that look like they need to pee (yes there is a story that follows it, and no its not pretty)
19. Hand sanitizer is your best friend, use and care for it as such
20. Dental Floss and bed posts make a quite suitable clothing line, avoid the mint type it leaves marks ;)
21. A laundry day is perfectly normal if it involves a sink, some febreeze, and wrinkle release.
22. Italian women wear heels all the time at any age. You will feel inadequate, except it.
23. People will stare at you, do not smile, smiling and eye contact is a no-no.
24. You kiss the right cheek and then the left if you know someone, confusing these directions can lead to an awkward almost kissing someone on the lips moment.
25. Lastly, Italy is the most beautiful country ever, and these facts are meant to be funny and showcase my hysterical moments trying to fit in thus far.
Hope you have enjoyed,and look forward to many more additions as I learn more of these little known facts in the future. :)
1. There are in fact more grapes in Italy than people.
2. If you can see one iota of sky above your head, im talking a half a centimeter or more be AWARE. Bird poop happens here, the birds know we are american and aim accordingly.
3. If indeed "shit happens" while you are out avoid removing immediatly, instead let the locals have a little fun staring at you until it crusts upon your head and you can flake it out.
4. Gelato is an any time of day food, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are the only stores that are open at all times!
5. Between the hours of 1 to 4, everything in Italy closes (except aforementioned gelaterias) Italians enjoy a good nap, everyday.
6. Italians do NOT under any circumstances split checks, even if it is a table of 14 you will have to delegate the tab yourself.
7. Similiarly, Italians do not enjoy anything that is not cash. The mafia tends to like to take a cut of profits so cash is the most sneakable form of currency.
8. It is perfectly fine to have a bit of vino before noon, infact preferred if you are having lunch. Bottles can cost as little as .99euro so, drink up!
9. Small children know a lot more english than you anticipate. They are also not afraid to scream these "certain words" they know at you. The boys here all know a certain word we use for a cat, and will ask you if you in fact own one, at any time of day. Even with their parents.
10. Men here are clever with their come on's (or so I hear I have not infact been acosted by any Italians yet)
11. If a woman attempts to give you her baby in a throwing motion RUN you are about to be robbed.
12. If a woman tells you that you have any type of condiment on your clothing RUN you are about to be robbed.
13. If a cute dog stops beside you resist the urge to pet, and RUN this cute dog has an owner, an owner that is about to rob you.
14. People that beg here for money, often jingle from the money they have in their pockets, smoke expensive cigarettes, and cary cell phones. Think before you give!
15. It is perfectly accepted to let your child run like madmen in church, its also alright to talk during a service, and to not bow your head during prayer. It is also mildly acceptable to sleep during service.
16. Olive Oil goes on everything, period.
17. The food here is amazing you will get fat, its an unavoidable fact.
18. Be aware of surroundings at all times, especially on trains. Avoid mothers with small children that look like they need to pee (yes there is a story that follows it, and no its not pretty)
19. Hand sanitizer is your best friend, use and care for it as such
20. Dental Floss and bed posts make a quite suitable clothing line, avoid the mint type it leaves marks ;)
21. A laundry day is perfectly normal if it involves a sink, some febreeze, and wrinkle release.
22. Italian women wear heels all the time at any age. You will feel inadequate, except it.
23. People will stare at you, do not smile, smiling and eye contact is a no-no.
24. You kiss the right cheek and then the left if you know someone, confusing these directions can lead to an awkward almost kissing someone on the lips moment.
25. Lastly, Italy is the most beautiful country ever, and these facts are meant to be funny and showcase my hysterical moments trying to fit in thus far.
Hope you have enjoyed,and look forward to many more additions as I learn more of these little known facts in the future. :)
Jewlery Day!
Hey there,
So today was a good mix of old and new stuff. We woke up around 7:45 had breakfast, and went to our Italian and Theatre class. Usually we have three classes so one was removed and we got out at 12:30 for lunch (hooray!) Lunch was awesome as usual, the nice ladies made me plain pasta and everyone else this tomato and red pepper pasta that everyone seemed to die over. After we had bread, green beans with olive oil, salad, and garlic crusted fish. It was so goood, I am beginning to think I am enjoying the food here too much. I hope to not have to buy a whole new set of clothes before I come back or have to be wheeled off of the plane in RDU so I am going to try and cut down on my crazy Italian food intake. I am not its not too bad, and I havent really noticed any changes in my body but I feel like people are constantly eating here. Its like Italians live to eat not eat to live so I am constantly being told to eat more! Granted, the food here is "more healthy" but gelato everyday still doesnt seem to be all that great for my figure ;)
Anywho, after lunch Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, and I had a little group room clean up session, cause our room was getting a bit overwhelming with clothes and bottles and whatnot. Then I forgoed my usual mid-day nap (another little tid bit that Italians love to do) and started my paper that was suppose to be due tomorrow but later got moved to thursday. After an hour or so of that, we headed out to the jewlery designers house. We Meredith ladies are so very lucky, and we have an in with a local jewlery designer that each year opens her home for us to come and visit and purchase oodles of her designs. It seems to be a win win situation for both sides. The jewlery was GORGEOUS to say the least and with 23 girls clamoring around a table a quickly became a free for all until the designer told us she had duplicates of everything. It was also nice that everything wasnt crazy expensive. There were inexpensive earrings, rings, pendants, necklaces, and then more expensive bracelets and other larger items. I bought myself some 5 euro earrings and a 10 euro ring, which looks very nice on my finger as I sit here typing this blog (thank you me! hehe) but mainly I got gifts for all of the pretty ladies in my life! hehe. I had to limit myself though because I kept finding things for people and then had to set it back down remembering that I have Venice next week, which is famous for their handblown glass. Afterwards, I walked back to the Servi and finished my paper so that it would be out of the way for the rest of the week. Then I finished The DaVinci Code (thanks chris) which I started on the plane here. My next "for fun" book will not actually be that much fun, because its a book I need to have read for a class I am taking in London. So tomorrow, we dont have classes (huzzah!) and we are instead waking up for an 8:30 departure to Asisi and Perugia for the day. Some of you may think Perugia sounds familiar, and thats probably because its been in the news lately. Recently, an American student was arressted there and charged with murdering her British roommate that was also studying abroad. They allege that she, her Italian boyfriend, and some other random dude killed her while on a drug/alcohol induced trip. I know, what joy! Cathy, and Greg insist that Perugia is a pretty place to visit despite this, but hopefully we wont be starred at, as potential murderers all day! Will let you know!
Ti amo!
Ciao
SB
So today was a good mix of old and new stuff. We woke up around 7:45 had breakfast, and went to our Italian and Theatre class. Usually we have three classes so one was removed and we got out at 12:30 for lunch (hooray!) Lunch was awesome as usual, the nice ladies made me plain pasta and everyone else this tomato and red pepper pasta that everyone seemed to die over. After we had bread, green beans with olive oil, salad, and garlic crusted fish. It was so goood, I am beginning to think I am enjoying the food here too much. I hope to not have to buy a whole new set of clothes before I come back or have to be wheeled off of the plane in RDU so I am going to try and cut down on my crazy Italian food intake. I am not its not too bad, and I havent really noticed any changes in my body but I feel like people are constantly eating here. Its like Italians live to eat not eat to live so I am constantly being told to eat more! Granted, the food here is "more healthy" but gelato everyday still doesnt seem to be all that great for my figure ;)
Anywho, after lunch Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, and I had a little group room clean up session, cause our room was getting a bit overwhelming with clothes and bottles and whatnot. Then I forgoed my usual mid-day nap (another little tid bit that Italians love to do) and started my paper that was suppose to be due tomorrow but later got moved to thursday. After an hour or so of that, we headed out to the jewlery designers house. We Meredith ladies are so very lucky, and we have an in with a local jewlery designer that each year opens her home for us to come and visit and purchase oodles of her designs. It seems to be a win win situation for both sides. The jewlery was GORGEOUS to say the least and with 23 girls clamoring around a table a quickly became a free for all until the designer told us she had duplicates of everything. It was also nice that everything wasnt crazy expensive. There were inexpensive earrings, rings, pendants, necklaces, and then more expensive bracelets and other larger items. I bought myself some 5 euro earrings and a 10 euro ring, which looks very nice on my finger as I sit here typing this blog (thank you me! hehe) but mainly I got gifts for all of the pretty ladies in my life! hehe. I had to limit myself though because I kept finding things for people and then had to set it back down remembering that I have Venice next week, which is famous for their handblown glass. Afterwards, I walked back to the Servi and finished my paper so that it would be out of the way for the rest of the week. Then I finished The DaVinci Code (thanks chris) which I started on the plane here. My next "for fun" book will not actually be that much fun, because its a book I need to have read for a class I am taking in London. So tomorrow, we dont have classes (huzzah!) and we are instead waking up for an 8:30 departure to Asisi and Perugia for the day. Some of you may think Perugia sounds familiar, and thats probably because its been in the news lately. Recently, an American student was arressted there and charged with murdering her British roommate that was also studying abroad. They allege that she, her Italian boyfriend, and some other random dude killed her while on a drug/alcohol induced trip. I know, what joy! Cathy, and Greg insist that Perugia is a pretty place to visit despite this, but hopefully we wont be starred at, as potential murderers all day! Will let you know!
Ti amo!
Ciao
SB
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rome, Sorrento, and Pompei: Excursion 1
So the last 3 days I have been on my first excursion of the trip abroad. It was filled with ups and downs and I think I am still sorting out how I feel about the whole thing so here is the play by play.
Monday which seems like a millenia ago, we ended class early and headed to the train station in Arezzo. Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, Nikki, Meredith and I had reserved a car for ourselves and took off on the direct train to Naples. This was probably one of the nicest trains we have been on so far and it was GREAT to have our own room to ourselves. We pulled the curtains (to keep unwanted creepers away) turned off the lights and slept on and off for the four hours to Napoli. So when I pictured Naples I pictured a sort of Raleigh like city in the countryside with a large overlook of the coast of Italy. WRONG! Naples I now know is pretty much the armpit of Italy and the scariest ghetto-looking area I have been too in a long time. When we exited the train a nice Italian boy named Fillipo showed us to the subway to get to sorrento and on our way there I saw a woman throw up into the train track rails (WELCOME TO NAPLES FOLKS!) I should have known then to expect the unexpected on this trip lol. So anyway we got on the subway for about a hour or so and arrived in Sorrento. Which again was nothing like I pictured, granted it was overlooking the ocean but the weather was pretty crudy. Our hostel though was very nice and much cleaner than I expected it to be. For a six person room it was pretty spacious and had just enough of the ammenities to keep us satisfied. The first night we grabbed a light snack for dinner and met some Canadians, Brits, and Americans and played a large series of card games so that was nice. We turned in fairly early cause we had to wake up early the next morning. The next morning we woke up around 8 got our complimentary breakfast and hopped on the first train bound for Pompei. Pompei was probably the highlight of my entire trip. Its this huge ancient town that was destroyed when a large volcano in the area covered it in lava and molten ash, but this disaster also preserved the remains for centuries. You can see roads, houses, gardens, even a theatre. Its cool to see how innovative the people were back then, in the roads they have large rocks in the intersections that were used when the roads were forcibly flooded to clean them and citizens used the rocks to cross over the flooded streets. There are also remains of the unfortunate souls that didnt survive the volcano attack. I know its creepy but I took pictures of the statues I guess you would call them. I kept thinking about what they were doing right before it happend and what they looked like before they were essentially molded into a statue. Ok so after about 3 hours of exploring pompei we went into town grabbed another cheap lunch and went into this limoncello factory. Limoncello is a lemon flavored liquer that is native to that area. We also discovered that there was a man there that made hand made shoes, so I counseled with mom and did my first and only splurge of the Italy portion of the trip. I bought myself a nice pair of sandals that I had custom made to my feet, I got to pick the colors and everything. I took about a million pictures of the man (his name was castello) making them so I will post those as soon as I can. Then it began to pour outside so we rushed back to the subway and headed back to Sorrento. Some of the girls met boys that night and stayed out way too late so I got very little sleep that night making sure everyone was okay and safe. The next morning we woke up around 6:45, grabbed breakfast, and headed on the first train back to Naples or the armpit as I call it. After arriving we got on the next possible train and went to rome.
The train to rome was a Eurostar which was a very swanky train but we couldnt all sit together and it was extra money to reserve it so I wasnt that impressed. The train station in Rome though was super nice and I knew from the moment we got off the train that I was going to like Rome much more than Naples ( I mean no one threw up in front of me in this station so that right there made me like it even more!) Our hostel in Rome was about four blocks from the station ( you will find out later that this was a very good thing) and so nice. It was called the Alessandro Palace and its suited just for young travelers. It was about 30 euro a night so a bit more than we wanted to pay but it did offer free breakfast and dinner so it sort of was a good deal in the long run. Our six bedroom was clean but quite odd since you had to stick the key to the room in this little slot for the electricity and air conditioning to work. Anywho, after we dropped our stuff we set out on our first walk to the Colloseum. So on this trip, I have become the card carrying map reader (they call me the bloodhound ;) Which I am actually pretty proud about because if you asked me to read a map 14 days ago I would have had no clue. Granted it took a bit of fenagalling but I finally got us there. Then we tried to find an atm which was an illustrious fail so we decided to just chip in for each other for the ticket in to the Colloseum. Then we got roped in to our first tour of the trip which to be honest I didnt really think was all that worth it. Granted, we got to bypass the line in, but a lot of what the guy talked about I already knew. The colloseum was beautiful and very well preserved, I enjoyed it and we stayed about 2 hours inside. You cant actually climb as high in it as I thought we could, but the second level had a good view of the mechanics inside so I got some interesting pictures. After that we walked past ancient rome, pass this huge monument called the wedding cake, to the Trevi fountain. The fountain was probably my favorite place we visited in Rome. It was ten times bigger than I thought and very crowded but it had this peace about it that was exactly what I needed at that point. When we got there our feet were pretty well tuckered out so we grabbbed some of the most glorious gelatto I have had so far and had a bit of a sit down. I had a big ol' cone of menta stracciatella (mint chocolate chip) caffe (coffee) and niccolia (hazelnut) I know I know weird combo but it was amazing! So we sat for a bit and than took pictures and tossed in our coins. I tossed in two coins which is suppose to signify that A) I will come back to Rome soon and B) I will fall in love in Italy (go figure). Afterwards we walked about in the marked and I picked up some postcards and checked out the area around the fountain. I also got sexually harassed by a living statue in the area dressed up as Charlie Chaplan. Yes folks its impossible for an italian man to look my way but Charlie Chaplans have no problem expressed their interest (my luck) and we committed a cardinal sin of study abroad and ate at mcdonalds. It was the best mcdonalds I have ever been too (it had burgers on foccacia bread) and spencer even got a beer in a italian sippy cup. We then trudged our way back to the hotel about an hour walk and crashed from the excercise. All the girls showered and than we went down for dinner. After that I was feeling a bit low and I went back upstairs to shower and relax.
Today, we visited the vatican. We took another very long and in my opinion expensive tour but again we got to bypass the lines so that was good. The vatican city was beautiful and immense and I was quite bummed we didnt have time to see everything. We did however get to see one of the museums and the Sisteen Chapel, which was beautiful. Its much smaller in person but one of the most ornate churches we have visited so far. Our tour guide taught us some neat stuff about Michelangelo and I learned that he really did not want to have anything to do with painting this church which seems ironic for all the prestige it now receives. We also learned that back in the day one of the cardinals gave Michelangelo flack about his paintings (which included alot of nudity that this particular cardinal didnt appreciate) so late one night Michelangelo sneaked into the chapel rubbed out on of the faces and repainted it in this mans likeness. The man he turned into the cardinal was actually the mythological human figure that was suppose to be the gatekeeper of hell tehe ;) and then the pope wouldnt allow the cardinal to have his face removed so its still there in the right corner of the judgement.
After that, we booked it back to the Trainstation via the metro, and realized we had only ten minutes till the last train back to Arezzo left. This where the trip gets interesting, we quickly designated four of us (spencer, kaitlin, nikki, and yours truly) to RUN back to the hotel grabbed ALL our bags and RUN back in less than ten minutes mind you. Apparently all this walking has put us in better shape because I have not ran that fast since jr. high. We basically sprinted four blocks (in my crocs) to the hostel. Formed a line and heaved bags to one another and than ran back to the station in six minutes! When we arrived the two girls with all our purses had moved from where they were before so we were left money and phoneless. All of my lack of sleep than caught up too me and I began to cry and curse quietly in the middle of the station next to the train we needed to get on until heavenly spencer and kaitlin found Kiran and Meredith and we all boarded the train. I have never been so happy to get on a smelly train before! We sat down and I couldnt believe we had done it, I was so proud of myself I could have just kissed myself if it was possible. Granted, I was embarassed I lost it along the way, but hey growing pains I guess...
Look for some postcards coming your way(s) soon.
All my love, miss you all so much
Hopefully the next post wont be so long!
Ciao
SB
Monday which seems like a millenia ago, we ended class early and headed to the train station in Arezzo. Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, Nikki, Meredith and I had reserved a car for ourselves and took off on the direct train to Naples. This was probably one of the nicest trains we have been on so far and it was GREAT to have our own room to ourselves. We pulled the curtains (to keep unwanted creepers away) turned off the lights and slept on and off for the four hours to Napoli. So when I pictured Naples I pictured a sort of Raleigh like city in the countryside with a large overlook of the coast of Italy. WRONG! Naples I now know is pretty much the armpit of Italy and the scariest ghetto-looking area I have been too in a long time. When we exited the train a nice Italian boy named Fillipo showed us to the subway to get to sorrento and on our way there I saw a woman throw up into the train track rails (WELCOME TO NAPLES FOLKS!) I should have known then to expect the unexpected on this trip lol. So anyway we got on the subway for about a hour or so and arrived in Sorrento. Which again was nothing like I pictured, granted it was overlooking the ocean but the weather was pretty crudy. Our hostel though was very nice and much cleaner than I expected it to be. For a six person room it was pretty spacious and had just enough of the ammenities to keep us satisfied. The first night we grabbed a light snack for dinner and met some Canadians, Brits, and Americans and played a large series of card games so that was nice. We turned in fairly early cause we had to wake up early the next morning. The next morning we woke up around 8 got our complimentary breakfast and hopped on the first train bound for Pompei. Pompei was probably the highlight of my entire trip. Its this huge ancient town that was destroyed when a large volcano in the area covered it in lava and molten ash, but this disaster also preserved the remains for centuries. You can see roads, houses, gardens, even a theatre. Its cool to see how innovative the people were back then, in the roads they have large rocks in the intersections that were used when the roads were forcibly flooded to clean them and citizens used the rocks to cross over the flooded streets. There are also remains of the unfortunate souls that didnt survive the volcano attack. I know its creepy but I took pictures of the statues I guess you would call them. I kept thinking about what they were doing right before it happend and what they looked like before they were essentially molded into a statue. Ok so after about 3 hours of exploring pompei we went into town grabbed another cheap lunch and went into this limoncello factory. Limoncello is a lemon flavored liquer that is native to that area. We also discovered that there was a man there that made hand made shoes, so I counseled with mom and did my first and only splurge of the Italy portion of the trip. I bought myself a nice pair of sandals that I had custom made to my feet, I got to pick the colors and everything. I took about a million pictures of the man (his name was castello) making them so I will post those as soon as I can. Then it began to pour outside so we rushed back to the subway and headed back to Sorrento. Some of the girls met boys that night and stayed out way too late so I got very little sleep that night making sure everyone was okay and safe. The next morning we woke up around 6:45, grabbed breakfast, and headed on the first train back to Naples or the armpit as I call it. After arriving we got on the next possible train and went to rome.
The train to rome was a Eurostar which was a very swanky train but we couldnt all sit together and it was extra money to reserve it so I wasnt that impressed. The train station in Rome though was super nice and I knew from the moment we got off the train that I was going to like Rome much more than Naples ( I mean no one threw up in front of me in this station so that right there made me like it even more!) Our hostel in Rome was about four blocks from the station ( you will find out later that this was a very good thing) and so nice. It was called the Alessandro Palace and its suited just for young travelers. It was about 30 euro a night so a bit more than we wanted to pay but it did offer free breakfast and dinner so it sort of was a good deal in the long run. Our six bedroom was clean but quite odd since you had to stick the key to the room in this little slot for the electricity and air conditioning to work. Anywho, after we dropped our stuff we set out on our first walk to the Colloseum. So on this trip, I have become the card carrying map reader (they call me the bloodhound ;) Which I am actually pretty proud about because if you asked me to read a map 14 days ago I would have had no clue. Granted it took a bit of fenagalling but I finally got us there. Then we tried to find an atm which was an illustrious fail so we decided to just chip in for each other for the ticket in to the Colloseum. Then we got roped in to our first tour of the trip which to be honest I didnt really think was all that worth it. Granted, we got to bypass the line in, but a lot of what the guy talked about I already knew. The colloseum was beautiful and very well preserved, I enjoyed it and we stayed about 2 hours inside. You cant actually climb as high in it as I thought we could, but the second level had a good view of the mechanics inside so I got some interesting pictures. After that we walked past ancient rome, pass this huge monument called the wedding cake, to the Trevi fountain. The fountain was probably my favorite place we visited in Rome. It was ten times bigger than I thought and very crowded but it had this peace about it that was exactly what I needed at that point. When we got there our feet were pretty well tuckered out so we grabbbed some of the most glorious gelatto I have had so far and had a bit of a sit down. I had a big ol' cone of menta stracciatella (mint chocolate chip) caffe (coffee) and niccolia (hazelnut) I know I know weird combo but it was amazing! So we sat for a bit and than took pictures and tossed in our coins. I tossed in two coins which is suppose to signify that A) I will come back to Rome soon and B) I will fall in love in Italy (go figure). Afterwards we walked about in the marked and I picked up some postcards and checked out the area around the fountain. I also got sexually harassed by a living statue in the area dressed up as Charlie Chaplan. Yes folks its impossible for an italian man to look my way but Charlie Chaplans have no problem expressed their interest (my luck) and we committed a cardinal sin of study abroad and ate at mcdonalds. It was the best mcdonalds I have ever been too (it had burgers on foccacia bread) and spencer even got a beer in a italian sippy cup. We then trudged our way back to the hotel about an hour walk and crashed from the excercise. All the girls showered and than we went down for dinner. After that I was feeling a bit low and I went back upstairs to shower and relax.
Today, we visited the vatican. We took another very long and in my opinion expensive tour but again we got to bypass the lines so that was good. The vatican city was beautiful and immense and I was quite bummed we didnt have time to see everything. We did however get to see one of the museums and the Sisteen Chapel, which was beautiful. Its much smaller in person but one of the most ornate churches we have visited so far. Our tour guide taught us some neat stuff about Michelangelo and I learned that he really did not want to have anything to do with painting this church which seems ironic for all the prestige it now receives. We also learned that back in the day one of the cardinals gave Michelangelo flack about his paintings (which included alot of nudity that this particular cardinal didnt appreciate) so late one night Michelangelo sneaked into the chapel rubbed out on of the faces and repainted it in this mans likeness. The man he turned into the cardinal was actually the mythological human figure that was suppose to be the gatekeeper of hell tehe ;) and then the pope wouldnt allow the cardinal to have his face removed so its still there in the right corner of the judgement.
After that, we booked it back to the Trainstation via the metro, and realized we had only ten minutes till the last train back to Arezzo left. This where the trip gets interesting, we quickly designated four of us (spencer, kaitlin, nikki, and yours truly) to RUN back to the hotel grabbed ALL our bags and RUN back in less than ten minutes mind you. Apparently all this walking has put us in better shape because I have not ran that fast since jr. high. We basically sprinted four blocks (in my crocs) to the hostel. Formed a line and heaved bags to one another and than ran back to the station in six minutes! When we arrived the two girls with all our purses had moved from where they were before so we were left money and phoneless. All of my lack of sleep than caught up too me and I began to cry and curse quietly in the middle of the station next to the train we needed to get on until heavenly spencer and kaitlin found Kiran and Meredith and we all boarded the train. I have never been so happy to get on a smelly train before! We sat down and I couldnt believe we had done it, I was so proud of myself I could have just kissed myself if it was possible. Granted, I was embarassed I lost it along the way, but hey growing pains I guess...
Look for some postcards coming your way(s) soon.
All my love, miss you all so much
Hopefully the next post wont be so long!
Ciao
SB
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